tōu​jī​bù​zháo​fǎn​zhé​yī​bǎ​mǐ

to go for wool and come back shorn

Senses

偷鸡不着反折一把米/ 偷雞不著反折一把米 tōu​jī​bù​zháo​fǎn​zhé​yī​bǎ​mǐ to go for wool and come back shorn

to lose even what one already had while attempting to gain something more; to suffer a loss in a failed attempt to profit by deceit or theft; literally, to fail to steal a chicken and lose a handful of rice instead

References

variant 偷鸡不着蚀把米/偷雞不著蝕把米 偷鸡不着反折一把米/偷雞不著反折一把米